Mobile bill shock for O2 customers holidaying in Europe

Phone firm's travel bolt-on plan is catching out unsuspecting travellers, charging them 1.99 a day even if they only send one text

O2 mobile users heading abroad should check if the travel bolt-on package, automatically charged to phones on arrival overseas, is suitable for them, after several people found they were being charged excessive amounts for sending the odd text message while on holiday.

Thousands of the firm's customers heading to Europe are automatically paying 1.99 each day they use their phone on holiday, unless they've opted out of the travel bolt-on option. Many will want it, but the company has admitted to Guardian Money that any pay-monthly user who has previously signed up for the O2 travel service has automatically been opted in to pay the daily charge while away, even though in many cases they may be better off without it.